Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend drug treatment and testing orders to cover alcohol misuse.

Hugh Henry: The current priority for Drug Treatment and Testing Orders is to make the order available to courts across the country as an option for dealing with drug misusing offenders. For those offenders with alcohol misuse problems, courts can in appropriate cases impose a probation order with a condition of alcohol treatment.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24490 by Ms Margaret Curran on 13 May 2002, what meetings it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding the fingerprinting and photographing of visitors to the Dungavel House immigration removal centre and what the outcome of any such meetings was.

Ms Margaret Curran: The management and operation of Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is the responsibility of the Home Office. I have not had any meetings with the Home Office regarding this issue.

Community Care

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require respite care facilities to be given equivalent status to sheltered housing and low cost accommodation in future planning applications for housing development.

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with organisations responsible for providing respite care facilities.

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to local authorities on the provision of respite care facilities.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Executive regularly meets carers' organisations, including respite care providers, to discuss a range of issues including the provision of respite care. Comprehensive guidance on respite care policy and practice was issued to local authorities by the Scottish Office in 1996. This guidance is still in force. In addition, since April 2002, where respite care includes the provision of accommodation, the service must be registered with the Care Commission, which takes account of National Care Standards in regulating such services. It is for local authorities and NHS services locally to decide on the best way to provide respite services to meet local needs and priorities. Planning authorities need to take account of all relevant matters when considering planning applications for respite care facilities, which may include guidance on policy and practice, and national care standards.

Drug Misuse

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to NHS boards on the provision of residential drug rehabilitation facilities.

Hugh Henry: The UK Health Departments' Drug Misuse and Dependence - Guidelines on Clinical Management provide comprehensive information on the treatment of drug misuse, including residential care.

  The provision of residential care is also addressed in Integrated Care for drug users - Principles and practice and "The effectiveness of treatment for opiate dependent drug users - an international systematic review of the evidence". Both publications are produced by the Executive's Effective Interventions Unit. These publications have been given a wide distribution to Drug Action Teams and other interested parties.

  Decisions on treatment and rehabilitation interventions are for local service providers and individual patients. This principle applies to choices between residential or community-based care. It is for local Drug Action Teams to design and deliver services for drug misusers tailored to meet local needs and priorities.

Education

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide additional funds so that South Lanarkshire Council does not close Craighead special needs school in Hamilton, in light of its commitment to the provision of special needs schools, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland , and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive does not make funding available to South Lanarkshire Council in respect of individual schools. It is for the council to consider the future configuration of its school estate and the future of any individual school, according to its own assessment of local educational needs and priorities.

Education

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to provide a mediation and tribunal service, give parents and carers a greater say in the education and support provision for their child and introduce flexibility to make sure that a child’s education takes place in a setting and with support that best meets their needs, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Peter Peacock: Proposals for the above were contained in the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill which was published for consultation on 17 January 2003. The Scottish Executive received 252 formal responses to the consultation and heard a range of views from over 1,100 delegates at consultation events and meetings across Scotland. The draft bill has been, and continues to be, developed with the input from a wide range of service users and providers. A copy of the consultation document is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26036).

  It is planned to introduce the bill to Parliament later this year.

Education

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward legislation to end "bureaucratic hurdles" faced by children with additional support for learning needs, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1725 on 19 August 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  The aim of this proposed legislation is to modernise and streamline the current 20-year old system for pupils with special educational needs. It will complement other disability legislation and aims to ensure that all pupils are provided with the necessary support to help them towards achieving their full potential.

Education

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to encourage diversity and permit local authorities to fund specialist schools, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Peter Peacock: We ensure our talented and gifted youngsters have access to nine centres of excellence across Scotland by providing £5 million per annum across seven local authorities and our Future Learning and Teaching (FLaT) programme encourages more local innovation and diversity. Additionally, local authorities have wide flexibility in meeting pupils’ needs.

Environmental Protection Act 1990

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-468 by Cathy Jamieson on 10 June 2003, how many prosecutions have taken place under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in each year since 1997 and how much was levied in fines.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table. The data for 2002 are not expected to be available until November 2003.

  Persons Proceeded Against and Fines Imposed for Offences Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as Main Offence), Scotland, 1997-20011,2

  


 


1997 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  

2001 
  



Number of persons proceeded against 
  

57 
  

55 
  

44 
  

24 
  

34 
  



Number with charge proved 
  

52 
  

53 
  

36 
  

20 
  

32 
  



Total amount of fines imposed (£) 
  

5,130 
  

18,705 
  

6,740 
  

16,480 
  

12,080 
  



  Notes:

  1. Excludes a small number of cases where the charge information available is not sufficiently detailed to identify the offence as being under the 1990 act.

  2. Includes companies.

European Commission

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that the Highlands and Islands will continue to receive regional development aid after the expiry of the existing budget and whether there have been any meetings between ministers and (a) European Commissioners and (b) officials since June 1999 on this issue and, if so, on what dates such meetings took place.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive supports reform of the Structural Funds post-2006 to ensure they are targeted where they are most needed following enlargement of the European Union. The debate on the future of European regional policy still has some way to go and we remain fully engaged with the European Commission and others in order to ensure that Scottish interests are taken into account.

  In the meantime, we are working closely with partners so that current programmes are spent effectively to secure lasting benefits.

Fire Service

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what the responsibilities of the (a) Care Commission, (b) local firemaster and (c) registered care or nursing home manager are in determining the pipe size and water hydrant pressure requirements in care and nursing homes.

Hugh Henry: The firemaster, on behalf of the Fire Authority, has a general responsibility with regard to the supply of water for firefighting by virtue of section 13 of the Fire Services Act 1947. When provision of water hydrants for firefighting purposes is being recommended or required, supply pipe size is normally specified, and the firemaster would take into account supply pipe size and water flow potential. Water pressure will be characteristic of the supply network. The firemaster will then, using risk assessed judgements, consider if the proposal specified is appropriate for the specific premises concerned.

  The firemaster may be consulted by the Care Commission in respect of fire safety in individual care premises as part of the registration process, and may make recommendations. Where the individual premises under assessment are remote from the water undertakers' ground hydrants, the provision of water for firefighting may be included in the assessment.

Firearms

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce legislation to increase the age limit for possessing or using an airgun from 14 to 17 and ban some types completely.

Cathy Jamieson: Firearms legislation is reserved. The Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, currently before the UK Parliament, introduces a number of changes to the Firearms Act 1968 which are intended to deal with the misuse of air weapons and to provide for stricter control over air weapons that are especially dangerous. These include raising the age limit at which a young person may own an air weapon from 14 to 17 and a ban on certain types of air weapon.

  The Executive welcomes these proposals and will continue to work with the UK Government to prevent the escalation of gun culture.

Forestry

John Farquhar Munro (Ross, Skye and Inverness West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome is of its review of the location of the headquarters of Forest Enterprise Scotland.

Allan Wilson: The Executive has carefully considered the different options put forward in the report of the review team, and decided that the head office functions of Forest Enterprise Scotland will be delivered by its existing territorial offices in Inverness and Dumfries. The views of staff, the trade unions and external stakeholders were taken into account, and our decision is to retain both offices. We have decided that Inverness will be designated as the head office, with Dumfries playing a vital role in support.

  The retention of both offices will, therefore, be guaranteed for the foreseeable future as Forest Enterprise Scotland maintains a dispersed organisation. It will allow for excellent services and a significant presence in both the north and the south of the country, reflecting the importance of forestry to both of these regions.

Further and Higher Education

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how Greenock and Inverclyde will benefit from the planned 16% increase in higher and further education funding by 2006, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Mr Jim Wallace: In the Executive’s lifelong learning strategy Life Through Learning; Learning Through Life , published in February 2003, we outlined our vision for lifelong learning in Scotland, which "is to provide the best possible match between the learning opportunities open to people and the skills, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours that will strengthen Scotland's economy and society." The five people-centred goals to realise that vision are:

  a Scotland where people have the confidence, enterprise, knowledge, creativity and skills they need to take a full part in economic, social and civic life;

  a Scotland where people demand - and learning providers deliver - a high-quality learning experience;

  a Scotland where people's knowledge and skills are recognised, used and developed to best effect in their workplace;

  a Scotland where people are given the information, guidance and support they need to make effective learning decisions and transitions, and

  a Scotland where people have the chance to learn irrespective of their background or current personal circumstances.

  The planned 16% increase in higher and further education funding by 2006 referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland will help us meet these goals for the people of Scotland, and for the people living and working in Greenock and Inverclyde.

  While Scottish ministers set the overall policy framework within which our educational establishments operate, the resources made available to individual further education colleges and higher education institutions is a matter for the Scottish Further Education Funding Council and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council respectively.

  A copy of our lifelong learning strategy can be found on the Executive's website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/lifelong/llsm-00.asp.

Further and Higher Education

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the proposed merger of the Higher and Further Education Funding Councils, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland , will have on James Watt College, Greenock.

Mr Jim Wallace: The merger proposals are currently at a very early stage and no final decision will be taken before a full consultation has been undertaken to enable the views of all major stakeholders to be aired and the pros and cons of the proposal considered fully. Bearing this in mind, to offer a view on how any future merger of the funding councils would affect an individual college would, at this stage, be premature.

Genetically Modified Crops

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive for how long farmers contracted to grow GM oilseed rape during Her Majesty's Government's field-scale evaluation (FSE) programme are legally required to prevent any GM material from entering the supply chain and whether, in the case of tenanted land involved in the FSE trials, any such legal obligation is binding on a landlord and successor tenants in the event of the original farmer ceasing to be the tenant.

Allan Wilson: Consents to release GM material as part of the farm-scale evaluations are held by the biotechnology company concerned. It is their responsibility to ensure that the conditions of consent are adhered to, whether the land is farmed by the owner or a tenant. As a condition of the consent under which GM oil seed rape has been grown as part of the FSE programme, conventional oil seed rape must not be grown on the same field for the following two years. This period may be reviewed by the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) for future consents in the light of emerging research findings. Notwithstanding the specific conditions in relation to an FSE consent, however, there remains a general requirement not to market products containing GMOs without an appropriate consent.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1163 by Mr Tom McCabe on 16 July 2003, whether its target of making ambulatory oxygen cylinders available on GP prescription by the end of the summer will be achieved.

Malcolm Chisholm: Yes. We intend to make ambulatory oxygen cylinders a GP prescribable item by the end of the summer.

Holyrood Project

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1214 by Mr Jack McConnell on 17 July 2003, by what means Lord Fraser will secure the co-operation of those witnesses whom he wishes to question in relation to the inquiry into the Holyrood building project if they refuse to co-operate and whether he will make public the names of any, or all, non-co-operative witnesses.

Mr Jack McConnell: As noted in the reply to given to question S2W-1214 on 17 July 2003, Lord Fraser has made clear his view that he can secure the co-operation of those whom he wishes to question, without a power to compel them to give evidence. It is for Lord Fraser to decide on the conduct of his investigation and to judge what information is to be made public.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much Communities Scotland invested in (a) urban and (b) rural housing in each year from 1996-97 to 2002-03 in real terms and what its planned investment is in (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The amount of investment in real terms, using current (2003) prices, by Communities Scotland in urban and rural housing from 1996-97 to 2002-03 and planned investment in 2003-04 and 2004-05 is as follows.

  Communities Scotland’s Investment in Real Terms at 2003 Prices in Urban and Rural Areas (1996-97 to 2004-05) (£ Million)1

  





Urban 
  

Rural 
  



1996-97 
  

278.9 
  

66.0 
  



1997-98 
  

184.2 
  

47.0 
  



1998-99 
  

173.4 
  

40.5 
  



1999-2000 
  

175.0 
  

45.9 
  



2000-01 
  

173.7 
  

47.4 
  



2001-02 
  

171.1 
  

54.5 
  



2002-03 
  

164.8 
  

50.4 
  



2003-04 
  

175.8 
  

59.1 
  



2004-05 2


Not Known 
  

Not Known 
  



  Notes:

  1. Converted using ONS RPI price series.

  2. Programme for 2004-05 to be agreed in late 2003.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much private investment (a) housing associations or co-operatives for rented housing, (b) housing associations or co-operatives for low-cost home ownership and (c) other housing providers grant-funded by Communities Scotland attracted in real terms in each year from 1992-93 to 2002-03.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  The amount of private investment in real terms, using current (2003) prices, attracted by housing associations or co-operatives for rented housing; housing associations or co-operatives for low-cost home ownership housing, and other housing providers as a result of grant funding by Communities Scotland from 1992-93 to 2002-03 is as follows:

  Private Investment in Real Terms at 2003 Prices as a Result of Communities Scotland Grant Funding (1992-93 to 2002-03)1

  





HA Rent 
  

HA LCHO 
  

Other Providers 
  



1992-93 
  

45.7 
  

35.9 
  

89.4 
  



1993-94 
  

51.4 
  

42.1 
  

97.9 
  



1994-95 
  

62.4 
  

39.8 
  

129.1 
  



1995-96 
  

65.7 
  

77.8 
  

109.4 
  



1996-97 
  

58.2 
  

51.5 
  

117.4 
  



1997-98 
  

55.0 
  

30.6 
  

73.8 
  



1998-99 
  

71.3 
  

23.5 
  

81.7 
  



1999-2000 
  

103.1 
  

12.5 
  

102.2 
  



2000-01 
  

115.5 
  

8.3 
  

53.9 
  



2001-02 
  

112.3 
  

12.1 
  

7.0 
  



2002-03 
  

93.5 
  

3.3 
  

36.3 
  



  Note:

  1. Converted using ONS RPI price series.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the administration costs of (a) Scottish Homes and (b) Communities Scotland have been in each year since 1998-99.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her reply is as follows:

  The administration costs of Scottish Homes and Communities Scotland in the years 1998-99 to 2002-03 were:

  





Scottish Homes
(£000) 
  

Communities Scotland
(£000) 
  



1998-99 
  

30,105 
  
 



1999-2000 
  

30,522 
  
 



2000-01 
  

27,408 
  
 



2001-02 
  

20,250 
  

9,328 (5 months) 
  



2002-03 
  

6,564 
  

24,554

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the amount of affordable housing available.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  As stated in Building A Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-2006: What the money buys, the Executive will increase the supply and quality of Scotland’s housing stock by approving 18,000 new and improved homes for social rent and low cost home ownership by 2006.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is committed to supporting single sellers’ surveys for house purchases and sales.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Housing Improvement Task Force final report, published in March 2003, contained a recommendation that the Executive should support a pilot of the single survey. At that time I announced the intention to adopt that recommendation, a decision that is reflected in the A Partnership for a Better Scotland agreement, which includes a commitment to introduce a single seller survey.

  Work on developing that pilot is under way, with the intention of robustly testing the single survey approach recommended by the task force, including gauging professional and consumer reaction to it, and identifying the best approach to making it work.

Housing

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on local authority housing, including repairs and new build, in each local authority area in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000, (d) 2000-01, (e) 2001-02 and (f) 2002-03.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The information requested is shown in the following table.

 Local Authority   1997-98 (£ million)   1998-99 (£ million)   1999-2000 (£ million)   2000-01 (£ million)   2001-02 (£ million)   2002-03 (£ million) Aberdeen City   31.621   41.219   42.823   42.975   41.147   40.017 Aberdeenshire   15.239   14.380   17.811   18.526   19.051   16.261 Angus   12.069   11.638   11.731   12.562   13.211   14.061 Argyll and Bute   8.074   7.261   7.583   7.105   7.350   7.633 Clackmannanshire   5.519   6.106   6.992   6.947   7.174   6.583 Dumfries and Galloway   14.555   18.073   17.502   19.790   17.176   16.816 Dundee City   31.636   31.302   29.298   29.806   28.943   28.605 East Ayrshire   18.600   22.627   17.134   19.293   19.515   20.031 East Dunbartonshire   6.402   7.113   7.913   8.432   7.918   7.954 East Lothian   11.630   12.111   12.478   12.169   11.837   15.742 East Renfrewshire   5.035   4.369   4.846   5.538   5.642   5.885 Edinburgh, City of   47.944   50.264   51.742   47.149   45.499   44.644 Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan   3.242   3.358   3.427   3.553   3.566   4.056 Falkirk   23.743   27.519   30.710   31.887   33.036   35.205 Fife   39.253   52.441   49.187   47.607   51.865   51.664 Glasgow   118.173   126.689   125.170   133.239   171.464   175.026 Highland   18.423   19.742   20.155   23.925   27.069   24.028 Inverclyde   16.713   15.761   16.872   15.316   16.007   15.532 Midlothian   8.620   9.503   8.900   9.229   10.476   10.366 Moray   7.515   9.156   9.282   9.822   9.481   7.644 North Ayrshire   21.497   21.145   21.083   21.808   22.244   22.458 North Lanarkshire   70.717   61.954   63.545   64.290   63.781   66.136 Orkney   1.085   1.079   1.218   1.136   1.351   1.354 Perth and Kinross   10.612   10.674   11.542   14.464   12.363   12.453 Renfrewshire   29.198   29.723   30.442   29.059   29.737   28.807 Scottish Borders   7.452   8.095   7.954   7.999   7.472   6.403 Shetland   4.527   4.294   4.111   4.673   5.487   4.174 South Ayrshire   13.365   14.811   16.139   14.869   16.145   17.402 South Lanarkshire   38.061   41.419   44.508   45.346   49.142   52.366 Stirling   9.109   9.705   9.722   12.336   12.360   11.828 West Dunbartonshire   18.078   18.586   16.773   15.988   15.212   14.918 West Lothian   22.828   24.108   22.294   23.235   24.617   33.814   

  Notes:

  1. Table includes capital expenditure on local authorities own housing stock and general repairs and maintenance funded from rental income.

  2. Information on local authority housing income and expenditure is published annually in the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin Housing Series.

Licensing

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-193 by Hugh Henry on 3 June 2003, when it now anticipates that the Nicholson Committee review on licensing laws will be published and what the reasons are for its publication being later than anticipated.

Cathy Jamieson: The Nicholson report is being published today. The Executive is very grateful to Sheriff Principal Nicholson and his committee for producing a comprehensive and coherent report on this complex area of Scottish legislation. Given the far-reaching implications of the many recommendations, the Executive will be formally consulting interested parties about the report over the next four months.

  The report can be viewed on the Executive website and copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 28903).

NHS Complaints

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on its conclusions to the responses to Reforming the NHS Complaints Procedure: Patients Focus and Public Involvement - A draft for consultation .

Malcolm Chisholm: Responses to the consultation paper are currently being analysed by Scottish Health Feedback, an independent research organisation, and are due to be published later this month. Once this has been published, I will provide a considered response to these conclusions during September.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25983 and S1W-32815 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 May 2002 and 13 January 2003 respectively, what information it has on the investigation by the police and whether the operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock are likely to accrue performance points in respect of that incident.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  We understand that an Intermediate diet and trial date of 7 October and 18 October 2003 respectively have been set. The question of points will follow the outcome of the trial.

Prison Service

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive to whom it sold the former HM Prison Dungavel.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Home Office, Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Regional Selective Assistance

Mr Duncan McNeil (Greenock and Inverclyde) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how businesses in Greenock and Inverclyde will benefit from its commitment in A Partnership for a Better Scotland to encourage business expansion through the continued use of Regional Selective Assistance, the Scottish Co-investment Fund and the new Business Start-Up Fund.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive continues to work closely with the Enterprise Networks to improve the quality and effectiveness of support for business start-ups and growth businesses throughout Scotland.

  Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) is the main national scheme of financial assistance to industry in the Assisted Areas, which very substantially covers Greenock and Inverclyde Scottish parliamentary constituency. Following a review in 2001, the scheme was restructured to strengthen its focus on growing Scottish firms and quality projects. Additionally, closer links have been forged between the Executive and Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire to ensure that firms in the Greenock and Inverclyde area take full advantage of the opportunities offered through RSA.

  The Scottish Co-Investment Fund (SCF) is administered by Scottish Enterprise. It is targeted at the current equity gap of up to £500,000 and will invest in a range of existing and new private-sector funding vehicles. A number of funds have already signed co-investment agreements and various direct investments in businesses have been made. Companies from Greenock and Inverclyde who wish to access this form of funding can apply directly to the individual fund managers. Businesses can also utilise the new Investment Readiness programme available in the Scottish Enterprise area to help them prepare their investment proposals. Details on this initiative can be obtained by contacting the local Business Gateway outlet in Greenock direct or online at www.bgateway.com.

  As outlined in the Partnership Agreement, steps are in hand to introduce additional support measures for businesses including a new Business Start-Up Fund. The details of the new fund are currently being worked up and will be announced in due course.

Scottish Executive Websites

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when work on the new search engine for the Scottish Executive website (a) started and (b) will be complete and what features the search engine will have once complete.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has procured a new search engine for deployment on the Scottish Executive website. The simple search component was introduced to the website on 12 February 2003. We are currently working with the solution provider to develop and test the advanced search functionality. The advanced version will be made available on the website as soon as we are satisfied that it meets requirements. The advanced search will provide concept, boolean and pattern searching along with the ability to search some other public sector websites. The Scottish Executive’s own website will also be searchable by metadata.

Scottish Medicines Consortium

Margaret Jamieson (Kilmarnock and Loudoun) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many products have been removed from the approved list of medicines by the Scottish Medicines Consortium since its establishment.

Malcolm Chisholm: There is no national approved list of medicines, but NHS boards are encouraged to operate formularies, which cover both hospitals and general practice. Hospital formularies have been used in Scotland for the last 30 years and have gained wide acceptance as a means of managing prescribing, particularly when operated within the hospital clinical pharmacy system. Area drug and therapeutic committees were often established to manage the local formulary. Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) in turn was established by NHS boards to provide them and their area drug and therapeutic committees with a single source of national advice on the clinical and cost effectiveness of new medicines. While SMC has no role in removing products from local formularies, its existence allows area drug and therapeutic committees more time to review their local formularies.

Sexual Offences

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce legislation to address the issue of sexual grooming, similar to clause 17 of the Sexual Offenders Bill currently before the UK Parliament.

Cathy Jamieson: Lewd communication with a child through an internet chatroom would constitute the offence of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices. Sexual grooming can therefore already be caught under existing Scots law. In addition, depending on the exact circumstances, an adult who pretends to be a child for the purposes of securing a meeting with a child could be guilty of fraud, or an attempt to commit a sexual offence, or both. We are currently considering whether the law in this area needs to be strengthened.

Social Justice

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been made available to each of the 22 projects it has approved for pipeline funding under the Supporting People scheme.

Ms Margaret Curran: The final allocation of funding for each project ascribed pipeline status has not yet been determined. An announcement will be made in due course.

Special Educational Needs

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Audit Scotland’s assessment in Moving to Mainstream: The inclusion of people with special educational needs in mainstream schools , whether mainstreaming does not work for every pupil with special educational needs; whether parents of children with special educational needs should have the option of their child not being mainstreamed, and whether this option exists for such parents.

Peter Peacock: Our Programme for a Better Scotland supports the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools where this is in their best interests. It also recognises that the learning of some children may be best addressed in specialist provision. Parents of children with special educational needs have the right to make a placing request for a place in any local authority mainstream or special school.